June 2023
Katie
Barrett
,
BSN, RN, PCCN
Cardiac ICU
The University of Kansas Health System
Kansas City
,
KS
United States
As my father took his last few breaths, my brother and I were in distress, but I felt Katie’s hand on my back, and the energy was love. She was a great comfort to me personally.
Katie is truly an outstanding nurse. We loved and were impressed by all the nurses at the health system, but Katie set the bar!
She was there on that first day, when my father was in critical condition. He was hooked up to so many medical devices, multiple IV lines, a swan, balloon pump, ventilator, and breathing tube. Katie managed it all with calm and expertise. She kept him alive that day and even stayed beyond the duration of her 12-hour shift to make sure of a smooth transition to the night nurse. There was constantly something urgent and life-threatening happening with my dad and Katie never let down or lost focus for a moment.
In the following days, whenever my father was in Katie’s care, we felt confident and at ease. Her kindness and gentle, respectful demeanor were also a comfort to my father, who was an independent farmer and used to doing things for himself. She was able to provide personal care for him while protecting his dignity and pride.
Katie was also there weeks later, on the day my father passed. Although assigned to other patients, she made a point to talk to my brother and me, and knowing how he loved the outdoors, she was working on a plan to get my dad outside later that afternoon.
When my dad went into a-fibrillation, Katie was on her lunch break, but she came running to be with us. As my father took his last few breaths, my brother and I were in distress, but I felt Katie’s hand on my back, and the energy was love. She was a great comfort to me personally.
I marvel. It seems that to be in the healthcare profession working in cardiac ICU, one would have to build a bubble around oneself, self-preservation against burnout, but Katie was both professional and heartful. My wish now is for all beautiful things to come to her. That she is loved and taken care of in the life-affirming way she loved and took care of my father in his last days. She makes the world better!
She was there on that first day, when my father was in critical condition. He was hooked up to so many medical devices, multiple IV lines, a swan, balloon pump, ventilator, and breathing tube. Katie managed it all with calm and expertise. She kept him alive that day and even stayed beyond the duration of her 12-hour shift to make sure of a smooth transition to the night nurse. There was constantly something urgent and life-threatening happening with my dad and Katie never let down or lost focus for a moment.
In the following days, whenever my father was in Katie’s care, we felt confident and at ease. Her kindness and gentle, respectful demeanor were also a comfort to my father, who was an independent farmer and used to doing things for himself. She was able to provide personal care for him while protecting his dignity and pride.
Katie was also there weeks later, on the day my father passed. Although assigned to other patients, she made a point to talk to my brother and me, and knowing how he loved the outdoors, she was working on a plan to get my dad outside later that afternoon.
When my dad went into a-fibrillation, Katie was on her lunch break, but she came running to be with us. As my father took his last few breaths, my brother and I were in distress, but I felt Katie’s hand on my back, and the energy was love. She was a great comfort to me personally.
I marvel. It seems that to be in the healthcare profession working in cardiac ICU, one would have to build a bubble around oneself, self-preservation against burnout, but Katie was both professional and heartful. My wish now is for all beautiful things to come to her. That she is loved and taken care of in the life-affirming way she loved and took care of my father in his last days. She makes the world better!